I need my fix.....

like NOW!

I'm getting all twitchy from the makeup withdrawal. Working at a makeup counter DEFINITELY doesn't help. It's like a drug addict being surrounded by awesome drugs...yeah.

I'm still going at my Project Pan Porn though. So far I've finished two products:

--Avalon Organics Vitamin C serum

--Maybelline Lash Stilettos WP mascara

All I know is that this project is taking way too long to finish. Blech.

:(

Tao

They think I'm crazy..... (extremely pic heavy) (completed)

and I think they are right.

As we launched the Dare to Wear collection at MAC, we are required to wear the colors in the collection (i.e. BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT colors) for 2 weeks.

Since MAC artists HAVE to wear the colors released in the collection and MAC can't MAKE them buy the products, the artists usually receive a few pieces of gratis (free makeup products) with each collection launch. However, since I'm a new-hire and MAC is inefficient at paperworks (contrary to popular beliefs), I still haven't gotten my gratis/staff card. According to my managers, it took MAC 6 months to get them theirs and THEY ARE MANAGERS. Oy, the future does NOT look bright.

Luckily, I'm a makeup hoarder and I have A LOT A LOT A LOT of makeup, I can substitute my own products and fake it til I make it. But then again, I will cut a bitch with NO regret if I still don't get my gratis/staff card once the Venomous Villains gets launched. Just sayin'.

For the Dare to Wear collection, I used my Ben Nye Grand Lumiere palette like a champion and received SOOOOOOOOOO many compliments.

I used these products in ALL the looks:

--Milani Glow Naturals (trying to use it up like a good girl)

--Revlon Beyond Naturals concealer in light/medium

--Coverblend concealer in Light

--MAC MSFN in Medium

--NYC sunny bronzer

--Ben Nye Contour #1

--Physician's Formula gel liner in black

--Falsies + Maybelline The Falsies on bottom lashes

-- All Ben Nye Grand Lumiere e/s unless stated otherwise

Look #1

Eww, my hair is oily....

Eyes:

-- MAC Soft Ochre paintpot

--Sun Yellow on lid

--Jade on inner lid and bottom liner

--Cosmic Blue on outer V

--Ben Nye matte e/s in Celestial Bleu in crease

--MAC Shroom to highlight

Cheeks:

--Rock & Republic blush in Bedroom

--MAC Soft & Gentle MSF

Lips:

--MAC VG6 lipglass

Look #2

Eyes:

--MAC Soft Ochre paint pot

--Ben Nye matte e/s in celestial bleu on lid/inner bottom eye

--Amethyst on outer V/outer bottom line

--MAC Shroom to highlight

Cheeks:

--Rock & Republic blush in Spank

--MAC shimmery portion of the MSFN duo for Medium

Lips:

--LORAC coutour shine in Vintage

Look #3 (did a tutorial on this here)

Eyes:

--MAC paintpot in Soft Ochre
--MAC pigment in Violet
--Cargo blush in Sunset Coast (silvery pink for highlight)
--Ben Nye violetta
--Ben Nye Grapevine

Cheeks:

--NYC mosaic powder in Peach Glow

----Cargo blush in Sunset Coast (silvery pink for highlight)

Lips:

--Revlon colorburst in Blush

Look #4 (Personal Fave)

Eyes:

--MAC Cork e/s all over lid

--MAC Blanc Type to highlight

--Jade used wet as upper liner

--Cosmic Blue as bottom liner

Cheeks:

--Rock and Republic blush in Spank

--MAC Soft & Gentle MSF

Lips:

--Dior Lip Glow <---AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Look #5

Eyes:

--MAC Soft Ochre paintpot

--Chartreuse all over lid/inner bottom liner

--Jade on outer V/bottom liner

--MAC Carbon in crease

Cheeks:

--Rock & Republic blush in Bedroom

--MAC Soft & Gentle MSF

Lips:

--Dior Lip Glow

Thanks for reading this guys! I'm heading out to work soon. Today we are all staying til 2 in the morning to do inventory check. I just threw on a little liner/mascara, nothing special. Wish me luck.

<3,

Tao

Tao

Rock & Republic Haul + Review!

Please let me clarify that I bought the Rock & Republic (RR) blushes BEFORE the Low-Buy so they don't count (?). As I mention in my last post, I got BB palette when I was on vacation in Miami...So yeah.

Anyways, here are the group pic of my RR blushes. They have fun names like NARS!

I got X-Rated, Foreplay, Spank, Immoral (FAVE), and Bedroom.

X-rated: The swatch online shows this as a dark plum color, but in reality this is a BRIGHT berry hot pink. I think this will be a perfect color to wear in winter to give me that "I'm not dead in fact I'm quite healthy" look. MAC 187 is DEFINITELY recommended.

Foreplay: An almost HG neutral blush. It's a beigey peach color with a little bit of brown thrown in. VERY appropriate for office or when you have too much going on on rest of your face.

Spank: A true cool pink. This is the one MUA was going after (other than Call Me which supposedly is a NARS Orgasm dupe). It's an everyday "I'm blushing because a hot guy said Hi to me" color. Very youthful. However, I don't think this is a must-have because it's very easy duped. On me it looks very similar to MAC Well Dressed.

Immoral: My favorite out of the bunch! The website shows it as flat out orange, but it's more of a bright coral in real life. Very wearable when used with MAC 187 and a LIGHT hand. Very summery. I'd imagine that this would look even better on ppl with tanned complexion.

Bedroom: A peachy-pink. I wear this when I'm in a hurry. It's a color that's fool-proof.

They were originally $40 each, but they were on sale on RR's website for 50% off plus $0.99 shipping, so I jumped at the chance and ordered a lot (MUA DEFINITELY wasn't helping, lemmings were created everyday). They are HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE. They are 9 grams each, which is double the size of NARS blushes. Not to mention that the packaging is SICK. I mean, it's too heavy to carry with you, but for those of you who wanted to, it's so cool when you pull that sucker out of your bag in public!

The pigmentation and wear of these blushes are A-FREAKING-MAZING!!! I had Bedroom on from 7am to 1am and it was still there! Hence, these suckers will last me a life-time.

Swatches:

With flash: L-R: X-rated, Foreplay, Spank, Immoral, Bedroom

Without flash: Same order as above

Overall, I'm really glad that I got these blushes. They are AMAZING!! If I came across the sale in the future, you can bet your last dollar that I will get more colors. My goal is to get all of them to complete my collection (words of a true makeup hoarder).

That's it guys. I have to get ready for work. I hope you all have a great weekend!

<3

Tao

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned....

Yes, TWO day after I said I'd go on Low Buy, I broke it.

I'm on vacay back in Miami, so of course I had to check out the CCO at Sawgrass located an hour from where I live. I REALLY REALLY tried hard to control my spending, which is why I only picked by Bobbi Brown Pink Raspberry palette despite the fact that the CCO had awesome awesome products.

I forgot to bring my camera with me on this trip (stupid stupid stupid), but I will update you all once I get back on Tuesday.

This is just a little update to let you know that I, Tao, am an epic FAIL when it comes to will power. It's time for me to go into the corner and cry uncontrollably.

That is all. Carry on.

Tao

The inevitable has arrived....

Hi all.

Today I want to talk about being on a Low Buy. I came to the realization that I needed to cut down my makeup spending after going crazy and ordering a lot of blushes from Rock & Republic for $20 each!!

I don't know about you, but for me that's a lot for blushes. Yes, I know they are HUGE (9 grams), ridiculously pigmented, packaged amazingly, and half off. However, I still cringed when I pressed ENTER on a $100 order. I will elaborate more on that later.

Anyway, going on a Low Buy is a way for me to cut down my makeup spending without depriving myself. We all know how well that could end (starvation diets, anyone?). It basically means that you get a makeup allowance every week. If you don't spend it, the amount roll over to next week. I've set $20 limit for myself every week.

Example: Let's say I want to get UD Naked palette this week, but it costs more than $20, so I have to not spend anything this week in order to have enough money to get it next week. However, if I wanted some Wet N' Wild l/s at $2 each, I can go ahead and spend the $20 limit on it.

A lot of ppl might read this and go "WTF? $80 is A LOT to spend on makeup every month!". Trust me, I spend A LOT more than that right now. I hope this goes well or else I have to join Over-spender Anonymous, for realz.

Anyways, in the mean time, I have a lot of products to use up. The items I'm planning on using up in August are shown here:

Group pic:

Skincare breakdown:

--Biore Detoxify Daily Scrub <--I use it on my face 3x a week. However, sometimes I feel that the exfoliating particles in this don't work as well as my Purity Microdelivery wash, so now I use it on my body. It should be gone soon. :)

--MAC Cleanse Off oil <--My HG makeup removing oil. It's so effective and inexpensive compared with others. Since I wear a full face of makeup everyday, I use this daily and hopefully it should be gone in a month or two.

--Biore Revitalize 4-in-1 Self Foaming wash <--I love the cooling sensation of this. However, it doesn't last me a long time. Usually a bottle is done in a month and a half, so hopefully I can finish this soon. I can't wait to concentrate solely on Philosophy Purity Made Simple wash.

--Merlot Grapeseed Day lotion <--Really light and refreshing. This is my 2nd pot. I don't have much left, I hope it can last me 2 more weeks. After this I will start using my Kiss My Face moisturizers. :)

Makeup breakdown:

--Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer <--My 2nd tube and I still love it.

--Coverblend concealer in Light <--I love it for covering under-eye circles. I've had it for a LONG time though, so I'm kinda bored with it.

--Milani Glow Natural foundation in Fair to Light <--I have like 2 back ups for this. I'll be set for a while.

--MAC MSFN duo in Medium <--THIS DOES NOT GO AWAY. I've been trying to use it up for months now. It just DOESN'T budge!! Ugh.

--L'oreal Double Extend mascara <--I use it on top of Maybelline lash stiletto wp mascara. Good stuff.

--Maybelline Lash Stilettos wp mascara <--keep my lashes curled and defined. :)

--Physician's Formula Gel Liner for brown eyes <--AMAZING!!! I'm almost done w/ the brown and purple and just started working on the black. I hope this can last me a while b/c PF doesn't go on sale anymore. :(

On a side note, this always makes me LMFAO!! Start watching at 1:00

I love him. I think he needs to get his own TV show. That's all.

Thanks for reading guys! I will be heading off to Miami tomorrow and will take a mini vacay til the 11th. I will see you soon!

<3,

Tao